Tom Cruise is showing off his ripped 49-year-old body in the pages of W Magazine as his Rock of Ages character Stacee Jaxx.

The muscular stud, sporting faux tats and piercings, revealed that he asked for a baboon during the filming process. Tom tells the mag:

“After working for weeks on Stacee’s technical skills, I was thinking about the character, and I said, ‘You know what? I need a monkey.’ Adam said, ‘What the f— are you talking about?’ And I said, ‘I’m serious – I need a monkey’ [laughs]. When Stacee’s not onstage, he’s kind of sad. And I thought, This guy has to have a monkey that’s his best friend. Adam found this baboon. He sent me the baboon’s audition tape, and I said, ‘The baboon’s name has to be Hey Man’ [laughs]. Stacee Jaxx doesn’t work without Hey Man.”

As for how Mr. Cruise learned to dance, he adds, "I learned how to dance watching Soul Train." Um, ok.